Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-05-06
Out of the Ruts.

Out of the RutS.
! We are now and have been for some
time past living in an era of falling prices
and for farmers in this State, and gen
orally all farmers at the east, the price o
staple crops is determined by western anC
southern competition. To meet this con
diton of affairs there is a necessity for {
change Of method, an absolute abandon
practiced. and a general getting up out OF
the ruts. Among the various suggestion:
which might be made, looking to thi:
change, are the abandonment OF the staple
and the entering into the growing OF
special crops. what is termed intensive
farming; private dairying on the choicest
plan for the fancy market breeding choice
stock OF some particular class the poultry
business on large scale by giving it care,
attention and business management IL
fact, the pursuit of any line of farming
which enables the producer to set price
instead of accepting price. This makes
ali the difference in the world, it gives a
margin which determines the success OF
failure of an enterprise Who now gen
orally, almost invariably, makes the price
on the farmers product? The buyer
What does the farmer take? What the
buyer offers him. Why Because other
farmers are producing the same article
and the buyer says, if the farmer ask.
more than is offered him, Very well there
are plenty OF farmers of whom
] can buy just these articles, and at just
such price as | offer them" What is
the remedy? For the former to engage in
some special line, producing some article
of product of universal consumption not
grown or raised by somebody else, on
which he can set his own price as by
right he should do.
! Another suggestion which is quite as
important as to say that the farmer mus
get out of the old ruts, is that he make {
reduction in the wastes of the farm The
sources of waste are numerous. but there
is a world of encouragement in the belle,
that they car all be avoided; the loss oc
casiOned by these wastes is enormous, bu
loss, il not all of it, is certainly prevent
able What are some OF these wastes?'
cover capitalization" in business, as tn,
term is, or too much invested in implements
tools. machines, rigging. This is per
haps more the fault of the fancy farmer
than the business farmer, and yet it il
not unfrequently the case that the farmer
has double the capital invested in tool,
and implements that is really necessary
| TO be sure, plenty of tools and nipple
ments of the most approved kinds are al
right and handy in carrying on farm
locked up in unnecessary ma
chimes. Another waste is that OF
fencing cattle out, instead of fencing them
in. The cost of fencing our Maine farms
is tremendous, and much of this expense is
unnecessary because the fences are not
needed, increasing the capitalization of
the farm to ruinous extent Now
wherever this fencing is unnecessary it Ger
talEly must be classed as waste. Mis-
directed action in the management OF the
farm, either from lack of thoughtfulnes,
or from ignorance. Ohe one is as liable tt
be the cause as the other) is source O
waste. And it can readily be seen tina
this is also largely preventable by the in
teliigent farmer. by reading, study, at
tending Farmers institutes, watching the
results published by the Experiment Sta
ton, taking note OF the experiments anC
successes or failures of his neighbors
visiting the best farmers to get "goot
ideas of management, the farmer can Sc
educate himself that there will be little OF
no loss from misdrected effort lSher
these losses are prevented, and the farme
is able TO name price for his products
instead OF having the middleman nam,
the prices the old ruts will have beer
abandoned. and there will be nothing IN
der the farmers course but solid McAdan
bottom, in which ruts will be impossible
bearing him on to success and compe
tency.
Our Grand roOstOnk